The Koch Intelligence Agency

[beourbud]

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/the-koch-brothers-intelligence-agency-215943

 

 

The political network helmed by Charles and David Koch has quietly built a secretive operation that conducts surveillance and intelligence gathering on its liberal opponents, viewing it as a key strategic tool in its efforts to reshape American public life.

The operation, which is little-known even within the Koch network, gathers what Koch insiders refer to as “competitive intelligence” that is used to try to thwart liberal groups and activists, and to identify potential threats to the expansive network.

Story Continued Below

 

The competitive intelligence team has a staff of 25, including one former CIA analyst, and operates from one of the non-descript Koch network offices clustered near the Courthouse metro stop in suburban Arlington, Va. It has provided network officials with documents detailing confidential voter-mobilization plans by major Democrat-aligned groups. It also sends regular “intelligence briefing” emails tracking the canvassing, phone-banking and voter-registration efforts of labor unions, environmental groups and their allies, according to documents reviewed by POLITICO and interviews with a half-dozen sources with knowledge of the group.

The competitive intelligence team has gathered on-the-ground intelligence from liberal groups’ canvassing events in an effort to assess the technology and techniques of field efforts to boost Democrats, according to the sources. And they say the team utilizes high-tech tactics to track the movements of liberal organizers, including culling geo-data embedded in their social media posts.

Such stealth activities are the kind that campaigns and party operatives often fantasize about but mostly shy away from ― both because of cost and potential political backlash if exposed.

Marc Short, president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the network’s central group, declined to discuss its efforts to track the left, generally, or to comment on the competitive intelligence team, which operates as a unit within his group. But he did not dispute that the effort is a focus for the Koch network as it tries to rebound from the disappointment of the 2012 elections and gears up to spend a jaw-dropping $889 million on policy and political battles headed into November 2016.

“We were caught off guard by what the left was doing in 2012, and we'd be foolish to be caught in that position again,” he told POLITICO.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/the-koch-brothers-intelligence-agency-215943#ixzz3rrLaQ4wN.

[Greg Rx]

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/the-koch-brothers-intelligence-agency-215943

 

 

The political network helmed by Charles and David Koch has quietly built a secretive operation that conducts surveillance and intelligence gathering on its liberal opponents, viewing it as a key strategic tool in its efforts to reshape American public life.

The operation, which is little-known even within the Koch network, gathers what Koch insiders refer to as “competitive intelligence” that is used to try to thwart liberal groups and activists, and to identify potential threats to the expansive network.

Story Continued Below

 

The competitive intelligence team has a staff of 25, including one former CIA analyst, and operates from one of the non-descript Koch network offices clustered near the Courthouse metro stop in suburban Arlington, Va. It has provided network officials with documents detailing confidential voter-mobilization plans by major Democrat-aligned groups. It also sends regular “intelligence briefing” emails tracking the canvassing, phone-banking and voter-registration efforts of labor unions, environmental groups and their allies, according to documents reviewed by POLITICO and interviews with a half-dozen sources with knowledge of the group.

The competitive intelligence team has gathered on-the-ground intelligence from liberal groups’ canvassing events in an effort to assess the technology and techniques of field efforts to boost Democrats, according to the sources. And they say the team utilizes high-tech tactics to track the movements of liberal organizers, including culling geo-data embedded in their social media posts.

Such stealth activities are the kind that campaigns and party operatives often fantasize about but mostly shy away from ― both because of cost and potential political backlash if exposed.

Marc Short, president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, the network’s central group, declined to discuss its efforts to track the left, generally, or to comment on the competitive intelligence team, which operates as a unit within his group. But he did not dispute that the effort is a focus for the Koch network as it tries to rebound from the disappointment of the 2012 elections and gears up to spend a jaw-dropping $889 million on policy and political battles headed into November 2016.

“We were caught off guard by what the left was doing in 2012, and we'd be foolish to be caught in that position again,” he told POLITICO.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/the-koch-brothers-intelligence-agency-215943#ixzz3rrLaQ4wN.

I call BULL SHIP. The Koch brothers are libertarians. Quit with this CRAP.

[+Malamute]

The republicans took over the heart of the Libertarian party/movement after Harry Browne died.

 

 :-(

 

I unfortunately had to suffer it.

[cristinew]

Yes  i switched to the Green Party  after Harry Browne left  and they  nominated  that unamerican Bob Barr 

Edited November 18, 2015 by cristinew

[GregS]

Shades of Nixon.

[Kingdiamond]

I call BULL SHIP. The Koch brothers are libertarians. Quit with this CRAP.

Your kidding me right ?

 

The Koch brothers are evil and this falls right into their MO  .

[+Malamute]

Greg rx,

 

also, then why are the Kochs giving up 800 million to republican candidates, Republican Congressional and senatorial committees, Americans for prosperity etc etc , instead of Libertarians?

 

Republicans conveniently call themselves libertarians all the time.  It just means I am a republican who wants zero government and zero taxes.  The Libertarian party has always been an odd mix of rich white guys who just don't want to pay their taxes,  anarchist/survivalists and hippy style fundamentalists. :-)

 

But yea,... the Kochs donations are over 90% republican nowadays.

[+Malamute]

[Greg Rx]

I thought you were smarter than this.

[outsideinthecold]

Hi Greg,

 

You need to remember this is a Democrat dominated site these days with a big government agenda.

 

So bashing the Koch Brothers while giving Soros a pass is as natural as ignoring the Democratic public sector unions' influence while bemoaning Citizen United.

 

If this really was about mmj patients and ending prohibition this would not be the case.

[+Malamute]

I thought you were smarter than this.I

 

Did I say something that wasn't true?

 

 

 

Hi Greg,

 

You need to remember this is a Democrat dominated site these days with a big government agenda.

 

So bashing the Koch Brothers while giving Soros a pass is as natural as ignoring the Democratic public sector unions' influence while bemoaning Citizen United.

 

If this really was about mmj patients and ending prohibition this would not be the case.

 

There is a lot of conservatives on this site as well. 

 

Can you explain what big government agenda means to you?

 

I have never seen anyone  give soros a pass on this site.

 

Arent police and fire unions Republican majority nowadays? And aren't Unions down to like 6% of employees?

 

Anyhow,  drop the faux outrage and tell me if what I said about the Kochs is wrong or not factual.  Then you can decide how smart I am, and how head buried in the sand you may be.

[outsideinthecold]

We, as a country, are in a unpleasant financial position.

 

The INTEREST paid on Federal Government debt is rising faster than the GDP.

 

Unfunded liabilities are massive and spiraling out of control.

 

Seven years of zero interest rates have created huge structural imbalances. Imbalances that left unchecked will inevitably end in a repeat of 2007 only worse. Except our national debt has doubled. Nine trillion dollars since 2008 has succeeded only in widening income and wealth disparity.

 

Nobel Peace Prize aside, the Arab Spring has withered away into today's seething cauldron of conflict.

 

Sadly, as much as I wish the Democrats or any party had a solution, there isn't one on the horizon.

[+Malamute]

And do you understand how republican and corporate policies have created the problems you speak of there?

[outsideinthecold]

Can I explain what big government means? Probably not to someone who can't count. Or ignores obvious demographic trends.

 

Big government is unaffordable.

 

For example, it gives food stamps to obese people.

[outsideinthecold]

Big government includes BOTH parties.

[outsideinthecold]

I understand big corporations have given us the world's biggest GDP. Is that bad? What system would be better?

[+Malamute]

Can I explain what big government means? Probably not to someone who can't count. Or ignores obvious demographic trends.

 

Big government is unaffordable.

 

For example, it gives food stamps to obese people.

 

Big government includes BOTH parties.

 

I understand big corporations have given us the world's biggest GDP. Is that bad? What system would be better?

 

 

So, food stamps is big government. That 1% of the discretionary budget has bankrupted us!

 

Businesses and owners with accountability.

[outsideinthecold]

Nope, you are making assumptions based on your bias not what was written.

 

Ever seen folks buy soda with Snap cards and empty them in a Meijer's parking lot to get the bottle deposits?

 

But all of this banter, while entertaining, ignores the basic point. We are going bankrupt.

 

Has our nation's balance sheet improved in the past ten years? No. The past five years? No. Any proposed solutions from either party? No.

 

The measure I suggest using is the NNW per-capita. In spite of the massive continuing debt financed stimulus it continues to decline. Include the ever increasing mountain of unfunded liabilities and we, as a nation, are already insolvent.

 

So what can be done? If highly intelligent folks like Zap and Mal don't see the outcome of the policies of BOTH major parties, one must conclude nothing will stop our continuing economic decline.

[outsideinthecold]

Obese people need Ding-Dongs? Does that sound like Republicans or big government? Or just dumb?

 

Obese people need Ding-Dongs. Be smart. Vote Democratic.

Edited November 19, 2015 by outsideinthecold

[Kingdiamond]

Did I say something that wasn't true?

 

 

 

 

There is a lot of conservatives on this site as well. 

 

Can you explain what big government agenda means to you?

 

I have never seen anyone  give soros a pass on this site.

 

Arent police and fire unions Republican majority nowadays? And aren't Unions down to like 6% of employees?

 

Anyhow,  drop the faux outrage and tell me if what I said about the Kochs is wrong or not factual.  Then you can decide how smart I am, and how head buried in the sand you may be.

I dont see Soros busting unions country wide do you?

[Kingdiamond]

Nope, you are making assumptions based on your bias not what was written.

 

Ever seen folks buy soda with Snap cards and empty them in a Meijer's parking lot to get the bottle deposits?

 

But all of this banter, while entertaining, ignores the basic point. We are going bankrupt.

 

Has our nation's balance sheet improved in the past ten years? No. The past five years? No. Any proposed solutions from either party? No.

 

The measure I suggest using is the NNW per-capita. In spite of the massive continuing debt financed stimulus it continues to decline. Include the ever increasing mountain of unfunded liabilities and we, as a nation, are already insolvent.

 

So what can be done? If highly intelligent folks like Zap and Mal don't see the outcome of the policies of BOTH major parties, one must conclude nothing will stop our continuing economic decline.

Your worried about some poor sap getting a bottle return but not saying one word about Pentagon waste to date the F35  fighter jet has cost this country 400 billion dollars and experts say it will take another 400 billion to figure out why it cant be flown at night or in inclement weather yeah food stamps are this countrys problem .

[outsideinthecold]

I wonder how hard it would be to program Snap cards to prevent buying junk food?

 

As for Mal's 1% comment, as Fitzgerald wrote in Gadsby, you go broke in two ways; slowly, and then all at once.

[Restorium2]

Obese people need Ding-Dongs? Does that sound like Republicans or big government? Or just dumb?

 

Obese people need Ding-Dongs. Be smart. Vote Democratic.

Sounds like you don't like fat people... either. 

 

I know that the food stamp program has helped a lot of people I know, fat and thin. It's probably one of the most helpful tools of the working poor. 

[Restorium2]

I wonder how hard it would be to program Snap cards to prevent buying junk food?

 

As for Mal's 1% comment, as Fitzgerald wrote in Gadsby, you go broke in two ways; slowly, and then all at once.

That's what a proponent for Big Government would say. Big Controlling Government Overlords.

 

Just do the work to make sure people qualify and let them buy what they want with it. 

[outsideinthecold]

Yes King, the Pentagon is as wasteful as any other government entity. Who runs it, anyway? Rumsfeld Repblicans?

 

It's not about either party. I've learned that here and am grateful for those who have that obvious to me at least. It is about the economy. And our country's future.